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Why did Boko Haram emerge in the northeastern city of Maiduguri? How did the jihadist movement manage to control territories in northeastern Nigeria and beyond? And how does Boko Haram adjust its strategies to local and external events? This is a must read for anyone who wants to understand Boko Haram’s trajectory. Read on

The most recent issue of the Swiss Foreign Affairs Magazine Politorbis is dedicated to the fight against famine, including an article on the Sahel and West Africa region, produced by the Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat (SWAC/OECD). It reviews the region’s progress in the fight against food insecurity over the past 30 years. By taking more co-ordinated and collective action, we can work more efficiently and have greater impact. Read on

This is a must read for anybody who would like to understand the issues at stake in Mali’s next presidential election, which are set for 29 July 2018. Joseph Brunet-Jailly, an economist and Mali expert, analyses the state of play in Malian politics. The prospects are far from encouraging. Mali is in a catastrophic situation: the Algiers Peace Agreement has become void, the opposition is divided and the forthcoming presidential election will probably change nothing. Read on

On 21 March, the SWAC Secretariat organised its first webinar drawing on key findings from the West African paper No. 10, “Wars and Conflicts in the Sahara-Sahel.” Some 70 policy-makers, experts and partners participated in the online debate. Read on

Gender equality remains unfinished business worldwide, including in West Africa, and particularly in the Sahel. “Passing laws and devising national strategies are not enough”, highlights an article published by the OECD Development Centre and the SWAC Secretariat on the Development Matters blog. Read on

In this article published by a Burkinabe online platform, Newton Ahmend Barry, president of the country’s independent National Electoral Commission, analyses the double attack that took place on 2 March in Ouagadougou. “We are wrong to believe that France or the G5 Sahel will solve our problems. No people in the world has ever been rescued by another people,” Barry wrote. Read on

Food is particularly expensive for households in sub-Saharan Africa – relative to their incomes. Prices are 30-40% higher than in the rest of the world with comparable per capita GDP levels. In West Africa, markets provide at least two-thirds of household food supplies and households spend an average of 55% of their budgets on food. “Transforming the food economy is key to lowering prices,” explains Thomas Allen from the Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat (SWAC/OECD) in an article published on the OECD Development Matters blog. Read on

“Health systems in Africa are rapidly developing and the fourth Industrial Revolution in healthcare could take hold,” writes Patrice Matchaba from Novartis in a blog post on the World Economic Forum’s website. African countries have an opportunity to develop a strong preventive approach by conducting, for example, massive high-tech driven campaigns against parasitic diseases, malaria chemoprophylaxis and prophylactic antiretroviral medication to prevent HIV infection. Read on

In this blog post published by IRIN, editor Obi Anyadike draws attention to the many challenges faced by African cities. three key findings: 1) African cities are crowded, “but not economically dense.” 2) African cities are disconnected. 3) African cities are costly, both for residents and businesses. The rapid urban growth is outpacing policy reforms. It is time for urgent reforms in African cities. Read on

Laurent Bossard, director of the Sahel and West Africa Club Secretariat, talks about the region's key challenges and the issue of youth employment. The interview was conducted on the sidelines of the Sahel and West Africa Week 2017 in Cotonou, Benin. Read on